Kansas City, Mo. – St. Joseph Medical Center has been named a top performer by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Premier health care alliance that rewards hospitals for delivering high quality care in five clinical areas: acute myocardial infarction (AMI), heart failure, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), pneumonia and hip and knee replacement.
Based on the fifth-year results from the Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration (HQID) project, St. Joseph received awards recognizing sustained levels of performance or improvement in caring for patients with AMI (heart attack) heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care. It was also named a top performer in hip and knee replacement. St. Mary’s Medical Center in Blue Springs, Mo., the sister organization of St. Joseph, also earned the awards in the same categories.
“It is exciting to see our associates’ and physicians’ hard work being recognized by these national organizations,” says Scott Kashman, CEO, St. Joseph Medical Center. “These awards are a reflection of the commitment to delivering the best care to our patients every day.”
HQID is the first national project of its kind, designed to determine if economic incentives to hospitals are effective at improving the quality of inpatient care. Through the project, (which has been extended by CMS for an additional three years) Premier collects a set of more than 30 evidence-based clinical quality measures from about 225 hospitals across the country.
Improvements in quality of care saved an estimated 6,500 acute myocardial infarction (AMI/heart attack) patients nationwide over five years, according to a Premier analysis of mortality rates at participating hospitals.
St. Joseph Medical Center is an acute care facility of Carondelet Health (CarondeletHealth.org) which also includes St. Mary’s Medical Center, three long-term care facilities and home care services. Carondelet Health is dedicated to the healing ministry of Jesus Christ. Our commitment to human dignity compels us to provide compassionate, quality healthcare for body, mind and spirit, with a special concern for the poor. We are responsible stewards serving the needs of all people from conception to death. Carondelet Health is a member of Ascension Health, the nation’s largest Catholic and nonprofit health system.